The golden days of the 1960s protest song may be past, but music is still used across the world as a vehicle to voice political views. More than a sideshow, it can be a form of mobilisation and an expression of 'soft power'.

Ukraine’s Jamala reacts to winning the Eurovision Song Contest with the song 1944.
TT News AgencyMay 16, 2016

This year's Eurovision had it all: geopolitical debates, a boycott threat, great music and a cracking Australian entry. Russia is outraged by Jamala's winning song about the deportation of Crimean Tartars - but the contest has always had political nuances.

Australia has struggled to forge cultural ties with the Asia-Pacific region. But SBS's deal to develop an Asian Eurovision could change this - there is more to the event than music, costume reveals and wind machines.

Jamala has been chosen to represent Ukraine at the 2016 Eurovision contest with her song ‘1944’.
Inna Sokolovksa/EPAFebruary 26, 2016

Yesterday, it was announced that for the first time, Australia would be given a competitive place in the Eurovision Song Contest. Not only this, but Australians can also vote (and let’s not overlook the…

“God save the Wurst: Conchita rockte London” – at least, so said the Austrian free newspaper Heute. Conchita Wurst continues to follow her Eurovision win with TV interviews and club openings, and is joining…

Wurst embraces a wide spectrum of individuals who recognise their own gender performance as imperfect.
Georg Hochmuth/EPAMay 12, 2014

Four songs in to the final of the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night, six Icelandic men in a band called Pollapönk took to the stage dressed in fluorescent suits and declared to an ecstatic house…

If the UK’s Molly doesn’t luck out, it’s not due to collusion.
EPA/Joerg CarstensenMay 7, 2014

It’s that time of the year again. One of the biggest events in Europe’s (and the world’s) cultural calendar, the Eurovision song contest is legendary. The attention paid to this bizarre show is enormous…

And so we wait, anxiously, to see Australia at an event that celebrates the rich cultural tapestry that is the panoply of European states. Nah, who am I kidding? We’ve got a guernsey at the Eurovision…